Various types of hand-operated crimping, cutting, forming and clamping tools are used in the commercial, military and aerospace industries. Historically, such tools have been manually operated tools. However, concern about workplace injury such as, for example, carpal tunnel syndrome, has affected a steady trend toward power operated tools. A majority of such power tools are pneumatic since such air operated tools are generally safer and more versatile and air under pressure is relatively easy to distribute about a workplace or factory.
A drawback to air operated or pneumatic tools is that they often become too large and too heavy (in order to produce adequate power) for the average operator to use comfortably. Hydraulic powered tools can generate higher force and would be preferable to reduce the size and weight of a power tool. However, hydraulic distribution systems are generally impractical and the use of individual hydraulic pumps for each tool is neither practical nor economical.